3-D printing, which generally works by building parts in layers, is a process used for the building up of 3-D objects. 3-D printing is relatively speedy and flexible allowing for the production of various objects as prototype parts and tooling directly from, for example, a CAD (Computer Aided Design) file.
Using 3-D printing enables the manufacturer to obtain a full 3-D model of any proposed product before tooling thereby possibly substantially reducing the cost of tooling and leading to a better synchronization between design and manufacturing.
Embodiments for 3-D printing are described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/259,323 assigned to the Assignees of the present application, and incorporated herein by reference. Such embodiments include a dispensing apparatus including a printing head having a plurality of nozzles, which selectively dispenses interface material through the nozzles in layers and curing means for optionally curing each of the layers deposited. The depth of each deposited layer may be controllable by selectively adjusting the output from each of the plurality of nozzles.
Embodiments for 3-D printing are also described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/412,618. Some such embodiments include printing complex 3-D objects by using interface materials having different hardness or elasticity and mixing the interface material from each of the printing heads to control the hardness of the material forming the 3-D object.